Department for Transport

Railways: North of England

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 November (HL3081), what criteria were used to identify the major cities of the north as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and Hull; and whether that identification was made by Transport for the North, the Department for Transport, or some other body.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The six cities voluntarily came together as the ‘One North’ group in response to Sir David Higgins’ March 2014 report ‘HS2 Plus’, which recommended that proposals be developed for improved connections between the North’s cities and largest international gateways (ports and airports) to complement High Speed 2. Subsequently the Transport for the North Partnership Board was established with representation for every local transport authority and Local Enterprise Partnership in the north of England. This body is leading the Northern Powerhouse Rail development programme with the Department for Transport.

Streatham Station

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether funding is still available under the Access for All programme to make Streatham Rail station more accessible by April 2018; and if so, when the work is expected to begin, and to be completed.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Following Sir Peter Hendy’s report on Network Rail’s enhancement portfolio it has become necessary to defer construction of the Access for All project at Streatham station until after 2019. I would like to assure you that we remain committed to delivering the Access for All programme in full, including Streatham. I have therefore asked that Network Rail continue to carry out development and design work at all of the deferred stations to ensure that they can start on site as soon as possible once more funding becomes available in 2019.

Sheffield Supertram

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the cause of the delay to the Sheffield to Rotherham train tram scheme.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Rotherham to Sheffield Tram Train pilot project has been subject to review. This is due to problems with Network Rail’s complex programme of works to modify the heavy rail network in order to allow the operation of the innovative tram train vehicles. The final outcome of this review work, including the financial implications, is still being considered. However, Network Rail is delivering the scheme to its revised programme and has indicated that their work is now scheduled to be complete during summer 2018. The commencement of passenger services on this route would follow the successful testing of the infrastructure, operational arrangements and appropriate driver and staff training. A decision as to a public start date would be made by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and Supertram as and when the Network Rail works reach their conclusion.

Sheffield Supertram

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what work the Department for Transport and Network Rail are undertaking to ensure that the Sheffield to Rotherham train tram scheme is given a start date.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Rotherham to Sheffield Tram Train pilot project has been subject to review. This is due to problems with Network Rail’s complex programme of works to modify the heavy rail network in order to allow the operation of the innovative tram train vehicles. The final outcome of this review work, including the financial implications, is still being considered. However, Network Rail is delivering the scheme to its revised programme and has indicated that their work is now scheduled to be complete during summer 2018. The commencement of passenger services on this route would follow the successful testing of the infrastructure, operational arrangements and appropriate driver and staff training. A decision as to a public start date would be made by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and Supertram as and when the Network Rail works reach their conclusion.

Sheffield Supertram

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any budget gaps have been identified which may prevent the completion of the Sheffield to Rotherham train tram scheme; and if so, what.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Rotherham to Sheffield Tram Train pilot project has been subject to review. This is due to problems with Network Rail’s complex programme of works to modify the heavy rail network in order to allow the operation of the innovative tram train vehicles. The final outcome of this review work, including the financial implications, is still being considered. However, Network Rail is delivering the scheme to its revised programme and has indicated that their work is now scheduled to be complete during summer 2018. The commencement of passenger services on this route would follow the successful testing of the infrastructure, operational arrangements and appropriate driver and staff training. A decision as to a public start date would be made by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and Supertram as and when the Network Rail works reach their conclusion.

Roads: Safety

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered making mandatory the wearing by under-19 year olds of high-visibility clothing while cycling or walking on the roads network after dark; and if so, with what result.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The safety of vulnerable road users is a priority and we recommend that pedestrians and cyclists wear clothing that makes them sufficiently visible to other road users, especially in poor light and at night. However, wearing high visibility clothing is a matter of individual choice. Imposing additional regulations could lead to people choosing not to walk or cycle and would be difficult to enforce.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the recommendations in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report Driven to Despair.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) had instigated a significant programme of improvements to the services offered to medical customers in 2014, prior to the publication of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO)’s report. Significant progress has been made and the DVLA continues to concentrate efforts in this area. The government accepted four of the six recommendations made by the PHSO. The DVLA’s Chief Executive has apologised and paid appropriate compensation to the eight customers upon whom the PHSO based its report. More staff and medical advisers have been recruited, which has led to significant improvements in the time taken to deal with medical licensing applications. The DVLA has also introduced a service which allows motorists to notify certain medical conditions online. This system will continue to be developed and improved over time. The DVLA has also significantly improved communications in this area. Letters to medical professionals and customers have been re-written to make them clearer and officials have worked closely with doctors and medical professionals to publish revised online guidance. The government does not accept the PHSO’s recommendation to put in place arrangements so that others affected by the issues identified can seek financial redress. The DVLA has a well established compensation scheme which conforms to HM Treasury guidelines. The PHSO’s report was based on only eight cases dating back to 2009 and the DVLA has dealt with more than four million medical applications since then, the vast majority of which have been handled efficiently and without issues. The government does not believe that it is proportionate to introduce further arrangements in this area. The government also does not accept the PHSO’s recommendation relating to medical standards for driving. The existing medical standards for driving are based in law and are devised and agreed by medical experts. The legislation underpins the actions DVLA takes in relation to driver licensing decisions. The DVLA also takes advice from six medical advisory panels composed of relevant experts to inform decisions about the health standards required for safe driving.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to ensure that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency improves its communications in line with the recommendation set out in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report Driven to Despair.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) had made significant improvements in this area prior to the publication of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman’s report. The DVLA worked closely with doctors and other medical professionals to improve the guidance for medical professionals to use when assessing fitness to drive. The revised guidance was published in March 2016 and has been very well received by medical professionals. Revised guidance for the general public on the medical standards for driving was published in October 2015 The DVLA has re-written customer facing letters to make them clearer and easier to understand. Officials have also reviewed and re-written letters to medical professionals to make them as clear as possible, helping to ensure that the DVLA receives the information it needs as quickly as possible. The DVLA has also carried out a pilot which saw posters introduced into around 100 GP surgeries in the Birmingham area. The posters emphasise to patients the importance of speaking to their doctor about whether they should declare a medical condition to the DVLA. Doctors were also provided with letters to give to patients if they had discussed declaring a medical condition to the DVLA. The DVLA has a dedicated team responsible for continuous improvement of communications and services, including an ongoing review of customer facing literature.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Council Housing

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to amend the rules limiting the amount that local authorities can borrow against the value of their existing housing stock; and if so, what is their estimate of the number of houses that local authorities in England could build in the next five years if the limit were removed entirely.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The borrowing caps were introduced as part of the Housing Revenue Account self-financing settlement, which entailed a once and for all rebalancing of housing debt. There are no plans to lift the caps, which are part of the government's strategy to manage the overall level of public debt.Local authorities do have the capacity to borrow to build new homes, there is nearly £3.4 billion headroom available nationally and £2.9 billion in reserves.

Council Housing: Construction

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the 40,000 affordable housing starts announced in the Autumn Statement they expect to be council houses.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: In the Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced a £1.4 billion expansion of the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme (SOAHP) 2016-21 and a relaxation of restrictions on tenure. The expanded and more flexible programme will allow providers to have the agility to quickly and effectively respond with the right products to local needs and markets. Local authorities, along with other providers, are able to bid into the programme, and so the proportion of the 40,000 starts that local authorities build will become clear through the bids that are submitted during the continuous market engagement phase.

Housing Infrastructure Fund

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they envisage the £2.3 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund being spent on, and over what timescale.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund covers £2.3 billion of new funding up to 2020/21 as part of the government’s National Productivity Investment Fund. Local authorities will be able to bid for funding for infrastructure such as new roads or utility connections (such as water, energy and internet) to unlock housing sites in high demand areas. This will support the delivery of up to 100,000 new homes. Further details on how this Fund will be allocated to local authorities will be set out in due course.

Housing: Co-operatives

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the £7.2 billion housing investment announced in the Autumn Statement is earmarked for co-operative housing.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: We have expanded the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21 with an additional £1.4billion to deliver a further 40,000 housing starts by 2021, increasing the overall capital budget to over £7 billion. Housing Co-Operatives and others will be able to apply when the expanded programme opens to new bids early in the new-year through continuous market engagement. However, there will be no artificially imposed limit or quota on how much will be available for Housing Co-Operatives or other providers. The greater tenure flexibility we have introduced in the expanded programme will also make it easier for Co-Operatives to bid to deliver new homes.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

UK EU Life Sciences Transition Programme Steering Group

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are ensuring that there is adequate representation of small and medium-sized enterprises on the UK EU Life Sciences Transition Programme Steering Group.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Government is seeking input from life sciences small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on EU-related issues in several ways, including through the UK EU Life Sciences Transition Programme Steering Group. SMEs are represented at this Group by trade bodies such as the BioIndustry Association (BIA) and Association Of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI). As well as the Steering Group, these trade bodies have contributed to subgroup discussions on trade and investment, medicines and medtech regulation, and access to finance.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Bedouin

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the imminent demolition of the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: On 23 November the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr. Ellwood), raised with the Israeli Ambassador the concerns expressed in the House of Commons about plans to demolish the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran in the Negev. Minister Ellwood also issued a public statement on 23 November, calling on the Israeli authorities and Bedouin community to work together to find a solution that meets the needs and respects the rights of the people affected.

Gibraltar: Spain

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 15 November (HL2957), what were (1) the number of incursions by British State vessels into Spanish Territorial waters, and (2) the number of incursions by Spanish State vessels into British Territorial waters around the whole British Isles, in the same period.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Aside from the information included in my Written Answer of 15 November (HL2957) regarding British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, the Government does not hold comprehensive records on British State vessels entering into Spanish Territorial Waters or Spanish State vessels entering into British Territorial Waters.

USA: Diplomatic Service

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when Sir Kim Darroch was appointed as UK Ambassador to the USA; and how many meetings he has had with the now President-Elect since he was appointed.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Sir Kim Darroch took up his appointment in January 2016. In line with our approach to all US elections, the British Ambassador and his team have had extensive engagement with Mr Trump's campaign and transition teams.

Peru: Human Rights

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken to implement the European Union Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders in Peru.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Embassy in Lima works closely with the European Union Delegation and the Embassies of other EU countries to support the implementation of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders. This includes regular dialogue with human rights defenders on issues of concern, engagement with them on visits outside the capital, and participation in the EU's annual human rights defenders event.

Islamic State

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 22 November (HL Deb, col 1836), whether the details of those prosecuted as ISIS insurgents in the UK and overseas can be published.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government is committed to ensuring there is no impunity for the heinous crimes committed by Daesh, as shown by the Foreign Secretary's launching of the Global Bringing Daesh to Justice campaign. As I mentioned during the debate, the prosecution of Daesh fighters has already begun both in the UK and around the world – to date, at least 50 countries have prosecuted or arrested foreign terrorist fighters or facilitators and approximately 60 countries have legislation in place to do so.The number of individuals who are arrested, charged, and prosecuted for terrorism-related offences is published in the Home Office Quarterly Statistical Bulletin, which was last published on 22 September 2016. In the year ending June 2016, there were 222 arrests for terrorism-related offences in Great Britain. These statistics do not disaggregate cases relating to Daesh or non-Daesh linked individuals. The UK Government does not publish details of prosecutions carried out by other governments.

Saudi Arabia: Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the content of school text books in Saudi Arabia, in the light of the extent of compliance by the Saudi authorities with their undertakings made in 2001 to remove from their school textbooks incitements to hate and kill Jews and Christians.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since 2001, Saudi Arabian school textbooks have undergone a number of revisions and we are not aware of any recent examples of incitement in these books. The King and the religious establishment continue clearly and publicly to condemn Daesh, and to emphasise that it does not in any way represent the teachings of the Islamic faith. The Saudi Arabian Government has been at the forefront of international efforts to defeat Daesh and its poisonous ideology from which the country has suffered first-hand.

Taiwan: Foreign Relations

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the warning by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 25 November that countries should not establish or maintain military ties with Taiwan; and what is their assessment of the impact of this warning on UK–Taiwanese relationships and on the interests of international navigation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK does not recognise Taiwan and neither maintains, nor has any plans to establish, military ties with the territory. As such, this announcement will have no impact on our wider, unofficial relationship with Taiwan which includes strong trade, education and cultural links.The UK supports the right of all States, to exercise Freedom of Navigation and Overflight in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to support the calls from Palestinians and humanitarian organisations for the protection of Palestinian children walking to and from their school against attacks from settlers living in Hebron.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have repeatedly raised with the Israeli authorities our concerns about incidents of settler violence and intimidation, including the importance of bringing the extremist settlers responsible to justice and of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. An official from our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly meets the British Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme volunteers to hear about their experiences of monitoring checkpoints and providing protective presence to children on their way to and from school.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 21 November (HL 3109), what assessment they have made of the number of rocket attacks from Gaza against Israel in the last six months.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not made any assessment of the number of rockets fired into Israel from Gaza, according to the Israeli authorities, since the beginning of June 2016 a total of five rockets have been fired into Israel by Gazan militant groups.

Palestinians: Elections

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority concerning the case for municipal elections to be held in the West Bank and Gaza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: ​Our Consulate General in Jerusalem has regularly discussed the local elections with senior Palestinian officials over the past months. Following the postponement of the elections, we have continued to urge all sides to make efforts to hold genuine and democratic local elections in the West Bank and Gaza in accordance with the law.

Israel: Bedouin

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the proposed demolition of the village Umm Al Hiran.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: On 23 November the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr. Ellwood), raised with the Israeli Ambassador the concerns expressed in the House of Commons about plans to demolish the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran in the Negev. Minister Ellwood also issued a public statement on this matter calling on the Israeli authorities and Bedouin community to work together to find a solution that meets the needs and respects the rights of the people affected.

Syria

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether ministers or officials met (1) Ignatius Aphrem II, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, or (2) Mr Salih Muslim Muhammad, co-leader of the Democratic Union Party in Syria, during their recent visits to London; and if so, what they discussed.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: No Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers met Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II or Mr Salih Muslim Muhammad during their recent visits to London. Officials attended public events at which the individuals spoke but did not engage in dialogue in either instance.

Ilois: Resettlement

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, under the 1966 UK–US Exchange of Notes concerning British Indian Ocean Territories, the US were consulted about the possibility of resettlement on Diego Garcia; and if so, what was their response.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The decision against resettlement has taken into account a wide range of views from all stakeholders, including the US. But security of the military facility is not the only factor in our decision against resettlement. Even if it were possible to work around the security implications of resettlement, the overwhelming practical challenges and costs of resettlement remain.

Pope Francis I

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have been advised of a visit to the UK by the Pope in 2018; and if so, whether such a visit will be pastoral or a state visit.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not discuss or disclose the details of possible visits by Heads of State or Government until invitations have been issued and accepted, and any announcement is made by agreement with the visiting Head of State or Government.

Department for International Development

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will urge the UN Secretary-General to meet Aung San Suu Kyi and others in Burma to discuss the lifting of all current restrictions imposed on aid in Burma.

Lord Bates: The UK Government is deeply concerned by the situation in Rakhine and by the conflict in Kachin and Northern Shan. We continue together with other countries and the UN to urge the Government of Burma to allow immediate unrestricted access for humanitarian aid. The Government of Burma has now committed to restoring humanitarian access. We are pressing for and stand ready to support the delivery of this commitment. In practice, worrying restrictions on humanitarian assistance remain in parts of Kachin, Northern Shan and Rakhine.The UN is already undertaking substantial advocacy efforts on Burma both within Burma and internationally. The UN Secretary General visited Burma and raised humanitarian issues with Aung San Suu Kyi in August 2016. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien raised issues of humanitarian access with Aung San Suu Kyi during his October 2016 visit to Burma. We do not presently propose to urge the UN Secretary-General to meet again with Aung San Suu Kyi.

Female Genital Mutilation

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to reconvene the Girl Summit 2014 which concerned efforts to end female genital mutilation.

Lord Bates: The government continues to lead efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and combat early and forced marriage, both at home and abroad. We were proud to co-host Girl Summit 2014 with UNICEF, which galvanised important commitments to end these harmful practices. The government is now focused on the implementation of commitments. We have also supported follow-up national events in the UK and overseas, including on 1 December, an event on FGM, bringing together young people and frontline workers. We will continue to take action to maintain international pressure to end both practices within a generation.

Department for Education

Languages: Teaching Methods

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Modern Foreign Languages Pedagogy Review published by the Teaching Schools Council on 18 November.

Lord Nash: The Government is committed to increasing the proportion of the population gaining language qualifications. As a result of the English Baccalaureate, the number of students studying a language at GCSE has increased from 40% in 2010 to 49% in 2016. Additionally, we want to improve the quality of language teaching. We welcome the Teaching Schools Council’s report on modern languages teaching practice in secondary schools and encourage schools and teachers to consider its recommendations in reviewing their current practice.

Social Services: Children

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 16 November (HL3148), whether they will publish the questionnaire used in the Children's Services Omnibus Survey before they publish the research report.

Lord Nash: The Department for Education intends to publish the questionnaire from the first Children’s Services Omnibus Survey in Spring 2017, as part of the research report. This is standard practice for research reports. There are no plans to publish the questionnaire prior to this.

Ministry of Defence

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 26 September (HL1779), whether they are planning to provide a mechanism for external stakeholder input into the defence policy review on remotely piloted air and wider highly automated systems.

Earl Howe: There is no formal mechanism for external input into this aspect of Defence policy, however officials are informally consulting academia, think tanks and industry as well as international partners, to broaden Defence understanding.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the National Shipbuilding Strategy report by Sir John Parker will be published; and when the new shipbuilding strategy will be announced.

Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Harriett Baldwin), on 29 November 2016 to Questions 54821 and 54838.



Warships Building
(Word Document, 15.5 KB)

Navy: Fisheries

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many offshore patrol vessels are planned to be available to the UK Border Force for fishery protection and assistance.

Earl Howe: None. The Royal Navy's UK-based Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) are tasked to support the Marine Management Organisation (MMO, part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) for patrol and inspection of UK sea fisheries. The OPVs also deliver Defence Tasks at home and in the UK's overseas territories, including support to UK law enforcement and Government agencies, when requested.Following the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, work is under way to consider how law enforcement might be increased in the maritime domain with the law enforcement agencies such as the Border Force, National Crime Agency and MMO, as well as the Royal Navy.

Frigates

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in accordance with the National Security Strategy, what is the minimum number of frigates required by the Royal Navy at any one time.

Earl Howe: The 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review concluded that a fleet of 19 Frigates and Destroyers is required by the Royal Navy to deliver its tasking. This fleet is currently composed of 13 Frigates and six Destroyers. The number of Frigates required from that force of 13, at any one time, is dependent on the task, location and operational situation of the day.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control: Private Sector

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to use the design build finance and operate method to manage private sector input into flood defence schemes.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The appropriate conditions for design, build, finance and operate rarely exist in the case of flood defence schemes. We do not, therefore, currently have plans to implement this approach to public private partnerships for flood defences. There is however private sector involvement in flood management schemes. Most flood defence improvement projects managed by the Environment Agency or other risk management authorities are designed, built and sometimes operated by private sector suppliers. The funding approach has also been designed to incentivise contributions toward Government supported flood schemes, including from the private sector.

Home Office

Asylum: Children in Care

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what additional funding has been provided to (1) Kent County Council, and (2) Croydon Council, to support the arrival of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Because of their geographical location as "entry authorities", Kent and Croydon have higher numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children in their care and have received enhanced funding rates to reflect this.In July, the government launched the National Transfer Scheme to ensure a more equitable distribution of unaccompanied asylum seeking children across the UK.We are committed to reducing the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Kent and Croydon and will keep the additional funding under review.

British Nationality

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April and 10 May (HL7517 and HL8199), what progress has been made on the review of British nationality law and citizenship; whether the date for the consultation has now been finalised; and if so, when the details will be published.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The review of citizenship is ongoing.

Undocumented Migrants

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UK Border Agency regularly screens vehicles entering the UK for the purpose of detecting illegal immigrants.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Border Force operates a multi-layered search regime using a range of interventions to screen vehicles entering the UK, including for the purposes of detecting illegal immigrants.This includes Passive Millimetre Wave Imaging devices, heartbeat monitors and carbon dioxide detectors as well as physical searches by sniffer dogs, Border Force staff and specialist search contractors.

Refugees: Children

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they propose to accommodate and rehabilitate future child refugees in the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children who are not reunited with family are accommodated by a local authority and the child will become legally looked-after under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 (or equivalent devolved legislation).This means that they will be safeguarded and have their welfare promoted in the same way as any other looked after child.

Fires

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many fatal fires have there been in each fire authority area in England this year to date; and how this compares with the previous 10 years.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Figures are collected from Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) using the electronic Incident Recording System (IRS). Comparable figures are only available since 2009/10, when the IRS was introduced.The attached table shows there were 268 fatal fires in England in the financial year 2015/16, compared to 310 in 2009/10.Though subject to fluctuation due to the relatively small numbers, fire-related fatalities and fatal fires have been on a broadly long-term downward trend. For similar reasons figures for individual FRSs figures should be treated with care and changes are not reflective of trends. The published figures on fatalities can be found in Table 0502 on the Gov.UK website under statistical data sets for fire statistics.



Table - HL3568
(Word Document, 36 KB)

HM Treasury

Thames Tideway Tunnel

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which raising of funds by Thames Water with a Cayman Islands registered company to finance the Thames Tideway Tunnel and ongoing expenditure complies with government policies on tax avoidance and the use of offshore havens by UK corporations.

Lord Young of Cookham: The Government is unable to comment on the tax affairs of individual companies. The Government has always been clear that companies must pay the right amount of tax on their UK activities. HM Revenue and Customs works to ensure that all taxpayers comply with their obligations under the UK’s tax code and pay the right amount of tax. The UK levies corporation tax on the basis of the profits generated by the economic activity and assets held in the UK, regardless of the location of the company’s legal structure. The Government has taken action – both internationally and domestically – to align the taxation of profits with economic activity. In line with this objective, the Government confirmed at Autumn Statement 2016 that the UK will proceed with a measure to cap the amount of tax relief that large businesses can claim for their interest expense at 30% of UK earnings, effective from 1 April 2017. The new corporate interest restriction rules are consistent with the internationally agreed OECD recommendations from the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project. The rules will include provisions to protect investment in infrastructure that have a public benefit and do not give rise to a BEPS risk.

Department of Health

Agency Nurses

Baroness Jowell: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Lord Prior of Brampton on 22 November (HL Deb, cols 1831–2), what percentage of the NHS nursing budget was spent on agency staff in the last five years for which figures are available.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department does not hold national data on agency staff that is broken down by this staff group. Each trust publishes financial accounts which are publically available. Trusts are responsible for collecting the appropriate level of information on their agency spending that will enable them to achieve maximum value for money.

Department of Health: Working Hours

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to implement the recommendations in the Report of the Independent Working Time Regulations Taskforce to the Department of Health.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department commissioned Health Education England (HEE) to take forward the recommendations of the taskforce led by Professor Sir Norman Williams into the impact of the European Working Time Directive on the training of junior doctors. Following the initial findings of the HEE working group, set up to consider the recommendations of the taskforce, HEE is working on gathering more detailed analyses of the General Medical Council data and research on the extended surgical team, along with further work to develop rota designs and pilots to enhance surgical training. This work now forms part of HEE’s programme of work on the shape of training, which looks at potential reforms to the structure of postgraduate medical education and training across the United Kingdom.

General Practitioners: Private Sector

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what, if any, is their policy in respect of GPs who use their NHS surgeries after hours or at lunchtimes for private consultations, while employed by a private provider.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Many general practitioners (GPs) undertake some non-National Health Service work - such as the completion of medical forms for which they charge patients and this is accepted as being part of normal GP practice. GPs are unable to charge registered patients for appointments, and any private work should not impact on their contractual obligation to provide access to services within the core hours of 8am – 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays, to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. The National Health Service (General Medical Services – Premises Costs) Directions 2013, provide, that where a third party rents part of the surgery and pays towards the running costs of the premises, this amount must be abated from the amount reimbursed by NHS England. A copy of the Directions is attached.



Directions
(PDF Document, 7.25 MB)

Hospitals: Carers

Baroness McDonagh: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what communications they regard as necessary with carers, or future carers, before patients are discharged from hospital.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The involvement of patients and their carers is central to timely and appropriate discharge from hospital. Each hospital’s discharge policy should set out how patients and carers will be involved and discharge arrangements discussed. Discussions should include providing full information about the options available and supplying patients and carers with a discharge plan.

Hospitals: Carers

Baroness McDonagh: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether communication with carers before patients are discharged from hospital will be included in the forthcoming carers strategy.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The forthcoming carers strategy will reiterate the importance of ensuring that families and carers are involved in the planning of hospital discharge and the role of local partners in ensuring this works well in practice. The strategy will also highlight the range of guidance and support available to local areas and to families.

Social Services: Older People

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what forms of data they hold on the level of care available to older people needing care in (1) their own homes, (2) care homes, (3) nursing homes, and (4) nursing homes with dementia support; and whether they have plans to improve the data.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Data on the level of care available to older people needing care is not held centrally. NHS Digital collects, analyses and publishes data on local authority funded social care activity, including outcomes for users and carers, finance and user experience. NHS Digital keeps its data under review as part of its commitment to ensuring information is relevant, useful and up to date. In addition, the Care Quality Commission collects data on all care providers. It covers every hospital, care home, general practitioner, dentist and care home agency in England as well as other types of service like ambulances, prison care services and hospices.